Disposable Bath Brush with Integral Soap and Moisturizer Dispensers

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a disposable bath brush intended for two to three uses in the shower or bath. This bath brush has bath gel and moisturizer stored in containers within the brush. Either of these fluids may be dispensed by applying pressure to the individual container or a release button, thereby causing the respective fluid to flow out of an opening at the front center of the brush. Also included is a retractable handle to provide a user with an extended gripping surface for reaching the back of the body and the feet. The front of the brush comprises bristles of any of a variety of materials and of an adequate length to provide a thorough cleansing experience.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims all accrued benefits deriving fromnon-provisional application Ser. No. 13/065,064, confirmation #4955.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The inventive concept presented herein generally is concerned withdevices and methods utilized for quick, efficient, and convenientpersonal hygiene, particularly with relation to bathing and showering.Disclosed is a disposable shower or bath brush having internallyseparate compartments containing liquid soap and a liquid moisturizer.

Bathing for humans has for thousands of years been a generally pleasantexperience. It is also a necessary procedure for maintenance of cleanskin and riddance of infectious conditions or exfoliation ofdeteriorating epidermis.

Individuals who travel frequently, and stay in hotels, may oftentimesprefer scented bath gels and skin moisturizers used in conjunction witha bath brush as compared to using the hotel's soap, which could dry theskin and/or wash cloths that may not be at the highest level ofcleanliness in some establishments. After rinsing and applying the skinmoisturizer, the skin should be left feeling soft and silky. Theinventive concept disclosed herein is designed for travel. It willeliminate the clutter of packing a bottle of shower gel, a shower brushor loofah sponge, and possibly shower moisturizers.

There are many versions of bath sponges or shower brushes with handleswhich are used to enhance the showering experience. Unfortunately, manyof those items are convenient to pack and take along on business tripsor family vacations because of the long handles. For consumers thatfrequently travel on airplanes, the disclosed inventive concept,commercially known as the “Quick Freshe” pack, will eliminate the needto transfer shower gel into 3-ounce bottles in compliance with theFederal Aviation Agency's regulations for carry-on luggage. Thedisclosed device will also eliminate frustrating attempts to packlong-handled back scrubbers and shower bnishes into their luggage.Because the “Quick Freshe” is a sanitary, prepackaged, full serviceshower supply, it will be ideal to send with children and teens forsleepovers or summer camps.

During the first days on a new college campus, there may not be time forlaundry duties. A few packages of “Quick Freshe” will eliminate the needfor re-using wash cloths, which hold bacteria and germs, especiallyuntil a regular laundry schedule can be set up. Another effective use ofthe disposable shower brush is in situations similar to the emergencyevacuations that resulted from the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Asthousands of persons were being displaced, distribution of a disposableshower brush would have been a comfort and hygienic relief to countlesspersons involved in such a tragedy.

(2) Description of the Related Art

In the field of shower or bath brushes, a number of unique developmentsand products have been manifested in the past; some complicated orintricate, and many, very basic. Several of them, which are relevant tothis inventive concept, are listed as follows:

U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,221; (Edwards, E., Jan. 22, 1980). The invention isa bath brush having an elongated, continuously curved device with ahandle at one end and a brush at the other end. The brush arrangementincludes an enlarged head with bristles and further, having a pair ofclips on either side of the arrangement of bristles for removablyholding a face cloth, there by facilitating bathing with the brush andface cloth.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,792; (Nazemi, A. Jun. 25, 1996). Disclosed is ashower brush with a handle at one end and a group of bristles locatedupon one face at the other end. The device has an axial pivot medial totwo ninety degree bends taken with respect to the longitudinal axis ofthe shank. U-shaped and an S-shaped configuration are thus enabled, eachbeing obtained from the other by rotation of one shank portion relativeto the other through one hundred eighty degrees in either directionabout the axial pivot.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,802 (Wang, Jun. 23, 1998). Disclosed is a devicehaving a grouping of circular brushes which are arranged on a platform.The platform contains tubing to allow water from the shower head power arotational mechanism inside each brush and also gently force liquid soaptoward the vicinity of the brush bristles.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,829 (Chen, C., Mar. 6, 2001). The inventioncomprises a bath brush including an elastic mesh tube-like structurewhich is axially pushed and gathered so as to continuously crimp theperimeter of the tube into a waved pattern; a handle connected to aframework and grip mechanism which are freely detachably assembled witha connecting member, and a pair of massaging spheres positioned on theupper side of the elastic mesh tube.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,219 (Powaska, T., Jun. 24, 2003). The inventordesigned a rotary shower brush of primarily elongated shape for mountingvertically in a shower stall, comprising a brush assembly, a motorassembly, upper and lower mount assemblies. The motor assembly isoperatively connected to, and rotates the brush assembly. One embodimentalso provides that the brush assembly oscillates up and down as itrotates.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,735,808 (Chen, K., May, 18, 2004). Disclosed is a bathbrush comprising a main body, a massaging member, and a bristle holderconnected to a top of the massaging member. The bristle holder isprovided with a plurality of insertion holes for implanting tuftedbristles therein and a plurality of through-holes for massagingprojections integrally formed on the massaging member to upwardly extendtherethrough and expose from the bristle holder.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,192 (Huang, M. Feb. 20, 2007). The invented deviceis a bath brush having a holding frame, a thread girdle, and atube-shaped elastic net. The holding frame has a corrugated handleportion having an end hole, and a binding portion having a plurality ofprotruded blocks, each of which has a through-aperture. The protrudedblocks contact the tube-shaped elastic net. The thread girdle surroundsthe tube-shaped elastic net to squeeze and to bind the tube-shapedelastic net.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIVE CONCEPT

The “Quick Freshe” bath brush is an inventive concept designed toprovide a convenient, sanitary showering product for individuals whotravel frequently, families at campsites, children at summer camps,college students, truck drivers, and traveling sales persons. The devicedisclosed herein is a shower/bath brush having the convenience ofinternally-generated shower and moisturizing gels. Also featured is aretractable handle for easier portability, and a hand strap for securegrasping of the brush when in use. The device is designed to bedisposable after two to three uses and thereby enhances an overallsanitary bath or shower experience for the consumer.

The brush has a cloth hand strap across the back surface to help keep itsecured within the grasp of the user's hand as the brush is maneuveredto gently scrub the body. A handle with gripping ridges is built onto aswivel joint and is normally stored in a compartment within the brush.The handle may be released and unfolded from the side of the brush, thenlocked into a straight-line position to provide extended reach forscrubbing the back or feet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, features, and advantages of the concept presented in thisapplication are more readily understood when referring to theaccompanying drawings. The drawings, totaling five figures, show thebasic functions of the preferred embodiment of the inventive concept

In the several figures, like reference numbers are used in each figureto correspond to the same component as may be depicted in other figures.

FIG. 1 presents a left side view of the brush, showing the bristles asimbedded in the front surface of the brush and the handle extended fromits storage in the compartment.

FIG. 2 presents a frontal view of the brush, displaying the array ofbristles imbedded on the front surface, the dispenser ports for bath geland/or moisturizer, and the handle in the extended position.

FIG. 3 illustrates the back surface of the brush, showing the handstrap, the bath gel container packets, and moisturizer containerpackets.

FIG. 4 is a cutaway view of the brush as seen from section line AA ofFIG. 1; further illustrating the gel and moisturizer passageways, ortubes, and also the brush handle stowed in its compartment.

FIG. 5 is a cutaway view, looking downward from the top of the brush,and as seen from the section line BB of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIVE CONCEPT

For the sake of illustrative purposes only, the following discussion andsummary will be directed to a preferred embodiment of the inventiveconcept. It must be understood that the inventive concept envisions avariety of brush/handle combinations, and several effective means ofstoring and dispensing bath gel and moisturizer fluids. With that inmind the general description of the device will proceed from an overallview of FIG. 1.

As we view FIG. 1, there is presented a left side view of a bath/showerbrush 1 having a moveable handle 7 which may be stowed within a storagecompartment 13. Prominently shown is the arrangement of bristles 6imbedded within the front surface 2 of the brush 1. The handle 7 isdisplayed in the extended position, having been rotated outward from itsstorage area within the compartment 13. In the extended position, thehandle 7 permits a user to more easily reach body areas such as thefeet, legs, and back during showering. The handle 7 further comprisesgripping ridges 8 for a more convenient and secure lit within a user'shand. When not in use, the handle 7 may be rotated upwards toward thebrush 1 and pressed against a semi-circular retaining clip 10 within thecompartment 13. The retaining clip 10 then maintains the handle 7 withinthe compartment. Also shown in FIG. 1 is a partial view of a hand strap21 which is attached to the back surface 3 of the brush 1. The handstrap 21 may be grasped by a user as the brush 1 is maneuvered so as togently scrub the skin during bathing. The embodiment shown in FIG. 1further comprises a retainer ring 23 for storage of the brush 1 on atypical bathroom wall or door hook.

We next move to FIG. 2, where the front face 2 of the brush 1 is shown,along with the imbedded bristles 6, the bath gel dispensing ports 24,and the moisturizer dispensing ports 25. The handle 7 is in the extendedposition and also to be noted are the gripping ridges 8 on the handle 7.In using the cleansing accessories to the brush 1, a user exerts fingerpressure onto one or more of the bath gel storage packs 15 (refer toFIG. 3) or any one or more of the moisturizer storage packs 17 (refer toFIG. 3) to induce a flow of the respective liquids through theassociated dispensing ports 24, 25 and onto the general area of thebristles 6. The bristles 6, in the preferred embodiment, are comprisedof nylon, however any other suitable material may be used, includingplastic or other artificial substance which can provide a firm, butcomfortable pressure to the skin of the user. The bristles 6 imbedded inthe front surface 2 are preferably of medium-firm texture.

By way of an approximate recital of the dimensions of the device, theshower brush 1 front face 2 is optimally in the range of six inches toeight inches in length, top to bottom, three to four inches fromside-to-side, and one to two inches in depth from the back surface 3 tothe tips of the bristles 6. The handle 7 would measure between five toseven inches in length. As explained previously, in a preferredembodiment, when the handle 7 is not in use, it may be rotated in acounter-clockwise direction of travel 12, shown in FIG. 2, into thecompartment 13, which is hidden from view.

A different embodiment of the brush 1 features a moveable handle 7 thatis telescopically operated. In this version of the device, the handle 7is constructed in a permanent orthogonal relationship to the brush 1 andextends from the base of the brush 1. The telescoping handle issegmented along its longitudinal axis into two concentric connectedtubes, one slidably fitting within the inner perimeter of the other, andhaving lock-and-release mechanisms for extension and retraction of theconcentric tubes. In another embodiment of the brush 1, the handle canbe fixed to the brush by two fasteners on either side of the brush,which allows a back and forth movement. When stowed, the handle thenclips onto the back of the brush 1.

The shower brush may also comprise a means for retracting said handleinto, and extending said handle out of, said compartment consisting of ascrew mechanism within a hollow rod, said hollow rod freely passingthrough one end of said handle and said rod further being affixed withinthe bottom-most portion of said brush

In turning to FIG. 3, the back surface 3 of the brush 1 is presented,wherein the hand strap 21 is shown in its orientation of being attachedwidth-wise across the back surface 3 of the brush from the right side 5(as seen from the “bristle side” of the brush 1) to the left side 4. Aseries of gel storage packs 15 and moisturizer storage packs 17 areshown on the back surface 3 of the brush 1. All storage packs 15, 17,are permanently attached to the back surface 3 of the brush 1. Thestorage packs 15, 16, are of a relatively thin, compressible materialand are easily depressed with slight finger pressure by a user.

Gel flow tubes 16 and moisturizer flow tubes 18 are anintegrally-constructed part of each of the storage packs 15, 16. Theflow tubes 16, 18 are bent at a short distance from their connectionwith their respective packs 15, 17, and directed into apertures 22 onthe back surface 3 of the brush 1. The flow tubes 16, 17, then connectto the respective dispensing ports 24, 25 on the front surface 2 of thebrush 1.

Next, viewing FIG. 4, there is shown a cross-sectional view of the brush1 as would be seen from section line AA of FIG. 1. Prominently displayedis the handle 7 as it is stowed within the confines of the compartment13. The handle 7 may be retracted into the compartment 13 of the brushby rotation in the direction of travel 12 shown. A setscrew 11, affixedwithin a threaded opening on the inside of the brush 1 allows rotationof the handle in and out of the compartment 13. A flexible securing clip10 of a slightly smaller diameter than that of the handle 10, is priedapart by a light pressing force exerted by the user on the handle 10 andthe clip thereby receives the handle 10 into a secure position.

Cross-sections of the gel storage tubes 16 and the moisturizer storagetubes 18 are also shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 presents a cutaway view of the brush 1 as seen from section lineBB of FIG. 1. The brush 1 is observed from the top section lookingdownward. Displayed are the gel storage packs 15 and their associatedtubes 16 extending between the back surface 3 and the front surface 2 ofthe brush 1. Gel dispensing ports 24 are shown among the bristles 6. Aportion of the storage compartment 13 is also depicted, with the handle7 in the stowed position.

In its commercial embodiment, the bath gel 16 and moisturizer 18contained in the brush 1 will be available in a variety ofconsumer-selectable fragrances.

While preferred embodiments of the present inventive concept have beenshown and disclosed herein, it will be obvious to those persons skilledin the art that such embodiments are presented by way of example onlyand not as a limitation to the scope of the inventive concept. Numerousvariations, changes, and substitutions may occur or be suggested tothose skilled in the art without departing from the intent, scope, andtotality of the inventive concept. Such variations, changes, andsubstitutions may involve other features which are already known per seand which may be used instead of, or in addition to features alreadydisclosed herein. Accordingly, it is intended that this inventiveconcept not be limited by the scope of the accompanying claims, but beconstrued within the scope of the disclosures herein set forth.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shower brush comprising a front surface having bristles embedded therein, a back surface, a left side, a right side, a handle, a hand strap attached to said back surface, at least one storage container for a liquid bath gel, at least one storage container for a liquid moisturizer, at least one passageway from said gel storage container, at least one passageway from said moisturizer storage container, at least one opening on the front surface of said brush in the vicinity of said bristles, and a means for discharging either said gel or said moisturizer, or both, through said respective at least one passageway and into said opening in the vicinity of said bristles.
 2. A shower brush as in claim 1, further comprising (a) a storage compartment internal to said brush, having dimensions sufficient to accommodate said handle, and (b) a means for retracting or extending said handle into and/or out of said compartment.
 3. A shower brush comprising a front surface having bristles embedded therein, a back surface having a hand strap attached thereto, a left side, a right side, and further comprising a handle moveably attached to said shower brush such that said handle may be placed into a retracted or extended position relative to said brush; a means for retractably storing said handle upon said brush; a means for locking said handle into position perpendicular to the base of said brush when extended; at least one storage container for liquid bath gel, said container attached to said brush; at least one storage container for a liquid moisturizer, said container attached to said brush; at least one passageway from said gel storage container, at least one passageway from said moisturizer storage container, at least one opening on the front surface of said brush; and a means for discharging said gel and said moisturizer through said at least one passageway into said at least one opening.
 4. A shower brush as in claim 3, wherein said means for retracting said handle into, and extending said handle out of said compartment comprises a screw mechanism within a hollow rod, said hollow rod freely passing through one end of said handle and said rod further being affixed within the bottom-most portion of said brush.
 5. A shower brush as in claim 3, wherein said means for retracting said handle into, and extending said handle out of said compartment, comprises a handle comprising a pair of concentric tubes, mutually connected one inside the other and thereby slidably positioned for stowage within said compartment or positioned for extension by a release-and-lock mechanism.
 6. A shower brush comprising a front surface having bristles embedded therein, a back surface, a left side, a right side, a compartment disposed between said front surface and said back surface, a handle moveably affixed to said shower brush; and a means for movement of said handle in and out of said compartment, further comprising a hand strap wherein each end of said strap is fixed to one side or the other of said back surface; a plurality of storage containers for liquid bath gel affixed to said back surface; a plurality of storage containers for liquid moisturizer affixed to said back surface; a plurality of dispenser ports protruding from the front surface of said shower brush; a plurality of passageways connected to each said gel storage container and to each said moisturizer container, said passageways leading therefrom to said dispenser ports; and a means for manually causing the liquid bath gel and said liquid moisturizer to flow from said respective storage containers, through said passageways, and into said dispenser ports.
 7. A shower brush as in claim 6, further wherein said means for retracting said handle into, and extending said handle out of said compartment comprises a screw mechanism within a hollow rod, said hollow rod freely passing through one end of said handle and said rod further being affixed within the bottom-most portion of said brush.
 8. A shower brush as in claim 6, wherein said means for retracting said handle into, and extending said handle out of said compartment, comprises a handle comprising a pair of concentric tubes, mutually connected one inside the other and thereby slidably positioned for stowage within said compartment or positioned for extension by a release-and-lock mechanism. 